There is definitely a wealth divide in Verbier, only the divide isn’t being measured with cash but with snow. And interestingly it is the north which has more than the south. The south facing slopes of Verbier are no longer white, or shades of white and brown, they are green! Spring really is here very early. However the recent snow fall last weekend has help keep the north rich in the white stuff, with north facing skiing in good condition. More snow is forecast for the coming weekend, I’ll keep you posted as to how the wealth is divided!
If you read some of the press in late November and early December you’d have thought that there was going to be no snow or skiing ever again in Switzerland. Well, the no skiing part might have been right on some days like today but the reason certainly isn’t a lack of snow! Today the lifts were shut and we skied Verbier Off Piste to le Chable, great snow and great fun.
https://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Medran-to-le-Chable.png450600Roddy Willishttps://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/RoddyWillis-logo.pngRoddy Willis2012-01-11 07:23:492021-02-01 08:42:37Skiing from Medran to La Chable
In Rocky Garden Verbier today the party was still chilled. The darkened corners of Rocky Garden away from the heat of sun there is still epic powder to be found. If, corn or spring snow is your thing then the season to be merry is here for those in the know. Like all great parties timing is the key, arrive to early and be welcomed by a crusty hard host. Arrive to late and all the guests have turned to slush and mush. Please contact me if you need a party guide to Verbier.
https://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/rock-garden-march-11-021.jpg5811030Roddy Willishttps://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/RoddyWillis-logo.pngRoddy Willis2011-03-02 07:36:152023-03-23 18:23:03Rocky Garden Verbier – Let the party rock
You might be thinking from my last blog ‘The storm is brewing‘ that it is all doom and gloom in Verbier. I can report that there is still skiing on the pistes in Verbier. Above 2800 meters the snow is still dry and crisp. All north facing itineraries are now open again. The itineraries Vallon d’Arbi, Col de Mines are closed. In the morning the pistes are firm and defrost with heat of the day, turning to slushy bumps in afternoon. So, the afternoons are fantastic fun for the keen mogul skiers.
Here are some pictures of the aftermath of the events last Sunday. So, the positive side is the snow which has fallen onto the piste can be used to maintain the skiing over the Easter holidays.
https://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/avalanches-verbier-030.jpg5811030Roddy Willishttps://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/RoddyWillis-logo.pngRoddy Willis2010-04-11 11:33:182021-02-01 08:42:38Verbier After The Storm
We arrived in Zermatt to be greeted by the sight of the sun lit Matterhorn, what a great place for the first Freeski camp! After a day of organising final details, quest coach Andy Longley and myself were joined by Roddy Willis sports NLP and mental performance coaching.
First, Roddy focused his attentions on Andy Longley, he’s currently Britain’s number one moguls skier and is destined for the Olympics after achieving top results in the world champs last year. Roddy started mapping Andy’s thought process off the mountain by asking a series of progressive questions over a couple of hours. Following questions reasoning would be applied to the answers and then a statement or question reversed, perhaps even the use of some complex rhetoric. Following this Roddy returned to the same questions and received very different and more positive answers from Andy, who then remained determined and confident throughout the week – sometimes to my dismay – and shows that if you’re open to it then NLP can have a powerful positive effect on sports performance.
Next up on Roddy’s hit list the Freeskicampers, everyone seemed a little intimidated by the prospects of hitting the park for a week with a new peer group on the first official day. Roddy worked his magic on the Campers and also taught Andy and I the basics of how to imbed commands into our natural speech (it’s actually pretty tricky, especially when you are consciously attempting it). Together we seemed to quickly create a relaxed environment, and everyone both opened up to our ideas and started to get stuck in.
This NLP malarkey really works when you want it to, Freeski will definitely be collaborating with Roddy on future camps and Freeski team training.
“I am a dolphin trainer at Brighton aquarium” “Gosh, really, how did you become a dolphin trainer?”
Pretty much everyone who works in a ski resort will at some time have been asked about their summer job. At the start of my ski career I would respond with a number of different made up answers, including dolphin trainer!
But what do you really do in the summer?
I am a qualified furniture designer and cabinetmaker. What that really means is I can pretty much make anything from wood. Over the years my summer career has developed. From designing and making furniture to building bespoke kitchens, high spec bathrooms, designing and building shops and the project management of chalet construction projects.
If you need help with your building or renovation project this summer then check out www.vivoverbier.com or contact me.
https://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/dolphin-trainer.jpg412598Roddy Willishttps://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/RoddyWillis-logo.pngRoddy Willis2009-09-03 15:43:242023-02-28 11:00:14Ski instructors | What they do in the summer?
Well someone has to live the dream! Yes I was exclusively living the Verbier dream today and nearly forgot again to bring you the latest skiing conditions and weather updates. Perfect piste, perfect sunshine, and a mixture of variable off piste – all topped of with a lovely dollop of sunshine.
Outlook for the rest of the week: The official weather forecasts are predicting another couple of days of sunshine followed by a heavy snowfall late Thursday. The slightly un-orthodox meteorologist MysticMikey has smelt the bacon and said it is going to snow!
Yes another perfect day in paradise – Well someone has to live the dream!
https://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/winter-snow.jpg960720Roddy Willishttps://www.roddywillis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/RoddyWillis-logo.pngRoddy Willis2009-02-11 05:32:172021-02-01 08:42:40Yes another perfect day in paradise – Well…. someone has to live the dream!
